One-piece pan and pipe toilet mount and method for using same to prevent toilet leak damage

ABSTRACT

A one-piece toilet mount includes a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plate adapted to support the entirety of a toilet bowl on a first face thereof. An open-ended PVC pipe is integrated with the PVC plate on a second face thereof that opposes the plate&#39;s first face. The PVC pipe is aligned with a hole in the PVC plate. At least a portion of the PVC pipe is adapted to form a friction fit within a PVC waste pipe. A method of installing a toilet using the toilet mount is also provided.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates generally to toilet bowl mountings, and more particularly to a one-piece pan and pipe toilet bowl mount as well as a method for using the mount to support a toilet thereon in a way that prevents damage caused by toilet leaks.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Floor-mounted toilets discharge water and waste through what is known as a “horn” that is located at the base of the toilet's bowl. The horn is positioned over the open end of a waste pipe located just beneath a roughly-formed opening in a floor on which the toilet is to be mounted. In the vast majority of instillations, an annular flange is coupled to the open end of the waste pipe. Two anchor/flange bolts extend up from the flange on either side thereof at locations that coincide with bolt holes formed in the toilet bowl's base. A thick wax ring positioned on top of the annular flange forms a seal with the toilet bowl's horn when the toilet bowl is placed thereon. Nut/washer combinations cooperate with the flange bolts (protruding through the bolt holes in the bowl's base) to “torque down” the toilet bowl.

Over time and/or due to improper instillation, the wax ring can break down or be overly “squished” at some portion thereof to define a leakage path between the discharge of the toilet bowl and the annular flange attached to the open end of the waste pipe. Due to the nature of the rough floor opening and the number of holes in a typical annular flange, a leakage path through a wax ring generally couples the region under a toilet bowl to the floor's supporting structure. This is a significant problem for even small failures in a wax ring as water/waste seeping through the wax ring's failure accumulates in the floor's supporting structure. Damage from accumulated water/waste includes moisture/odor/stain damage, wood rot, and black mold. Clean-up and repairs of these damages can be extensive as floor(s), ceilings, walls, floor coverings, furniture, etc., typically need to be replaced.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a toilet mount and method of using same to prevent damage caused by toilet leaks.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a toilet mount that is of simple construction and is simple to install.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more obvious hereinafter in the specification and drawings.

In accordance with the present invention, a one-piece toilet mount includes a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plate adapted to support the entirety of a toilet bowl on a first face thereof. The PVC plate has a hole therethrough. An open-ended PVC pipe is integrated with the PVC plate on a second face thereof that opposes the plate's first face. The PVC pipe is aligned with the hole. At least a portion of the PVC pipe is adapted to form a friction fit within a PVC waste pipe. A method of installing a toilet using the toilet mount is also provided.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon reference to the following description of the preferred embodiments and to the drawings, wherein corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a one-piece toilet mount in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the toilet mount taken along line 2-2 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the toilet mount taken along line 3-3 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a one-piece toilet mount in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the toilet mount taken along line 5-5 in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a one-piece toilet mount in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the toilet mount taken along line 7-7 in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of a portion of floor illustrating a rough opening cut therein and the open end of a waste pipe, and further illustrating a ring-shaped region of adhesive applied to the floor's surface to circumscribe the rough opening in accordance with the method of installing a toilet mount of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a side view of the toilet mount just prior to its attachment to a floor in accordance with the method of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a part side, part cross-sectional view of the toilet mount adhered/sealed to a floor and cemented to the open end of the waste pipe in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a side view of an installed toilet mount that includes attachment posts with a toilet bowl mounted on the toilet mount and caulked around the base of the toilet bowl in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a plan view of a one-piece toilet mount in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the toilet mount taken along line 13-13 in FIG. 12.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings, simultaneous reference will be made to FIGS. 1-3 where a one-piece toilet mount in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is shown and is referenced generally by numeral 10. Toilet mount 10 (as well as all other toilet mount embodiments described herein and those contemplated/suggested by the ensuing description) is a one-piece structure made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) thereby making the toilet mount 10 a relatively rigid structure. Each toilet mount described herein can be molded as one piece, or can be assembled as part of the installation of the toilet mount where such assembly results in a one-piece toilet mount. Since the various toilet mounts described herein are made from PVC, assembly of component parts/elements into a one-piece construction can be readily achieved using PVC cementing techniques that are well understood in the art. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the word “one-piece” as used herein includes molded as well as assembled/cemented toilet mounts.

At its most basic level, toilet mount 10 includes a plate 12 and a relatively short pipe 14 (e.g., less than 12 inches in length) integrated with and extending from plate 12. More specifically, plate 12 defines opposing planar faces 12A and 12B with a hole 12C formed therethrough. Pipe 14 is aligned with hole 12C and extends perpendicularly away from face 12B.

The size and shape of plate 12 should be sufficient to support the entirety of a toilet bowl (not shown) thereon. That is, a toilet bowl's footprint must be able to rest entirely on face 12A as will be explained later herein. Therefore, it is to be understood that the illustrated rectangular shape of plate 12 is not a limitation of the present invention as the shape of plate 12 could mimic that of a toilet bowl that is to be mounted thereon while being just slightly larger in size than the bowl's footprint. The outside diameter of piper 14 should be such that it will form a snug fit within a waste pipe (not shown) that will generally be made from PVC. The particular length of pipe 14 is not a limitation of the present invention as it can be easily cut to a desired length for a particular installation.

Hole 12C is positioned in plate 12 with its center 12D a fixed distance D from a straight edge 12E of plate 12. As will be explained later below, when toilet mount 10 is installed such that pipe 14 is fitted in a waste pipe, center 12D will align with the center of a waste pipe. In accordance with the local building codes, the center of the waste pipe must generally be located a specified distance from a wall of the installation site. Accordingly, fixed distance D can be set/matched to the building code requirements for a waste pipe-to-wall specification. This will facilitate proper positioning of toilet mount 10 during installation thereof. For most new home construction, fixed distance D will be 12 inches.

To accommodate building code variations or an existing construction configuration, fixed distance D on plate 12 could be set to a maximum expected distance D_(MAX) and one or more line markings (e.g., two line markings 12F and 12G are shown) could be provided on plate 12 (i.e., on either face 12A or 12B) to define cut lines to accommodate the different installation measurements. Each line marking 12F and 12G could be parallel to edge 12E and thereby allowing plate 12 to be adjusted for a particular construction configuration.

Another embodiment of a one-piece toilet mount in accordance with the present invention is shown in FIGS. 4-5 and is referenced generally by numeral 20. Toilet mount 20 is similar to toilet mount 10 but further includes a raised lip 22 integrated with and extending away from face 12A. Lip 22 extends completely or substantially around the periphery of plate 12. Lip 22 will help contain water/waste overflowing from the top of a toilet bowl that can result when a toilet clog forms within the bowl itself. Note that the portion of lip 22 aligned with edge 12E can be offset from edge 12E to define a plate-like ledge 24 to facilitate wallboard and/or baseboard installation on top thereof.

Still another embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7 and is referenced generally by numeral 30. Toilet mount 30 is similar to toilet mount 10 but further includes alignment and attachment posts 32 integrated with and extending perpendicularly away from face 12A. More specifically, posts 32 are disposed on either side of hole 12C with the longitudinal axes 32A thereof being aligned with center 12D to define an imaginary line that is also parallel to edge 12E. Posts 32 are positioned for cooperation with bolt holes that are provided in the base of virtually all commercially-available toilets. Thus, posts 32 can be used to facilitate alignment of a toilet bowl to be placed on plate 12. Posts 32 can also be externally threaded as indicated at 32B to facilitate attachment of a toilet bowl to mount 30 as nuts/washers 34/36 can be used as in conventional toilet bowl installations. For strength, posts 32 can be solid posts as illustrated.

The one-piece toilet mount of the present invention will prevent all toilet bowl leaks from accumulating in the floor's supporting structure beneath the toilet when the toilet mount and toilet bowl are installed in accordance with the method described below. To facilitate an understanding of this unique toilet installation method, reference will be made to FIGS. 8-11 where key aspects of the installation method are illustrated for new building construction. This installation would typically be performed by a licensed plumber during the plumbing “rough in” phase of construction. While any of the above-described toilet mounts could be used in the installation method, the installation of a toilet using toilet mount 10 will be described.

Referring first to FIG. 8, the first step of the installation method involves applying a continuous region 40 of an adhesive (e.g., any well-known construction adhesive to include LIQUID NAILS) all around the rough opening 102 cut in a floor 100 on which the toilet mount will rest. Adhesive region 40 should be of a width and height sufficient to retain its continuous annular configuration after the toilet mount is positioned on floor 100 and, more typically, will cover most of the region of floor 100 that will be adjacent to face 12B of plate 12 when installed on floor 100. Generally, adhesive region 40 will be applied in accordance with the adhesive manufacturer's specifications. Extending up to just beneath the surface of floor 100 will be the open end of a PVC waste pipe 200 for attachment to the present invention's toilet mount as will be explained further below. For new construction, waste pipe 200 is positioned after toilet mount 10 is attached to floor 100. For existing construction, waste pipe 200 will already be in place prior to the attachment of toilet mount 10 to floor 100.

Referring next to FIG. 9 where adhesive region 40 has been applied to floor 100, an installer applies a downward force F to face 12A of plate 12. This seats/seals plate 12 to floor 100 as annular adhesive region 40 forms an annular water-tight seal between plate 12 and rough opening 102 in floor 100.

With mount 10 attached to floor 100 as just described, the installer positions waste pipe 200 beneath floor 100 and cements the open end of waste pipe 200 to pipe 14. More specifically, the installer applies well-known PVC cement components to each of an annular portion of the external surface of pipe 14 and an annular portion of the internal surface of waste pipe 200. That is, after the annular external surface of the outboard end of pipe 14 and annular internal surface of the outboard end of waste pipe 200 are primed with a primer (not shown), an annular region of PVC cement 300 is applied to the primed annular external surface of pipe 14 and the primed annular internal surface of waste pipe 200. FIG. 10 illustrates the results of fitting pipe 14 with PVC cement 300 thereon into waste pipe 200 with cement 300 thereon. In this way, pipe 14 is sealed to waste pipe 200.

Finally and as shown in FIG. 11, a toilet bowl 400 is placed on face 12A of mount 10. More specifically, the toilet bowl horn 402 is positioned over hole 12C. Note that no wax ring is required between face 12A and horn 402. Rather, a silicone-based caulk 50 is applied around the periphery of bowl 400 right at face 12A. In this way, any water/waste (not shown) backing up from waste pipe 200 or overflowing from a toilet (mounted on plate 12) cannot seep back into rough opening 102. That is, in the event of a toilet overflow or the unlikely event of a failure of caulk 50, any leaking water/waste will be on plate 12 where it can be readily seen. Most importantly, since plate 12/pipe 14 are an integrated one-piece element and since plate 12 is sealed to floor 100, leaks/overflows can never pass through to rough opening 102. Therefore, such leaks/overflows are prevented from seeping into the floor's supporting structure. Note that caulk 50 could also be applied between the underside of bowl 400 and face 12A.

Note that if toilet mount 30 with posts 32 is used, the method of installation will also include the steps of aligning a toilet bowl's bolt holes (not shown) over posts 32. Fasteners such as nuts can be used to attach the toilet bowl to the toilet mount's plate. In addition, if the toilet mount included line markings (e.g., line markings 12F, 12G), an additional cutting step could be required to fit the toilet mount to a particular installation configuration.

The advantages of the present invention are numerous. The one-piece toilet mount simplifies toilet bowl installation. The mount is an integral part of a toilet installation that prevents moisture/waste leaks from ever entering an “under floor” space. Once installed, the toilet mount never needs replacement. Replacement of a toilet simply involves removal of the old toilet from the toilet mount, cleaning of the toilet mount's upper face, and placement/sealing of the new toilet to the mount's upper face.

Although the invention has been described relative to a specific embodiment thereof, there are numerous variations and modifications that will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the above teachings. For example, each of the above-described embodiments could also incorporate an annular region in face 12A formed around and sloped towards hole 12C so that small amounts of water/waste splashes exiting a toilet's horn will be directed to the waste pipe coupled to the toilet mount. This is illustrated in FIGS. 12 and 13 where a toilet mount 60 (based on the previously-described toilet mount 30) incorporates an annular sloped region 12H in face 12A. Region 12H can extend out beyond posts 32. It is therefore to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced other than as specifically described. 

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:
 1. A one-piece toilet mount, comprising: a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plate adapted to support the entirety of a toilet bowl on a first face thereof, said PVC plate having a hole therethrough; and an open-ended PVC pipe integrated with said PVC plate on a second face thereof that opposes said first face, said PVC pipe being aligned with said hole, said PVC pipe having at least a portion thereof adapted to form a friction fit within a PVC waste pipe.
 2. A one-piece toilet mount as in claim 1, further comprising: a first PVC post integrated with said PVC plate and extending from said first face thereof; a second PVC post integrated with said PVC plate and extending from said first face thereof; and said first post and said second post located 180° away from one another on either side of said hole and adapted to cooperate with bolt holes formed in a base of the toilet bowl.
 3. A one-piece toilet mount as in claim 2, wherein each of said first PVC post and said second PVC post is a solid post.
 4. A one-piece toilet mount as in claim 2, wherein each of said first PVC post and said second PVC post is externally threaded.
 5. A one-piece toilet mount as in claim 1, wherein said PVC plate includes a straight edge located a fixed distance from a center of said hole.
 6. A one-piece toilet mount as in claim 1, wherein said PVC plate includes a straight edge located a fixed distance from a center of said hole, said PVC plate further being marked between said center of said hole and said straight edge to indicate at least one line marking on said PVC plate that is parallel to said straight edge.
 7. A one-piece toilet mount as in claim 1, further comprising a raised lip integrated with said first face substantially around the periphery thereof.
 8. A one-piece toilet mount as in claim 1, wherein said first face includes an annular region formed around said hole that slopes towards said hole.
 9. A one-piece toilet mount, comprising: a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plate adapted to support the entirety of a toilet bowl on a first face thereof, said PVC plate having a hole therethrough; an open-ended PVC pipe integrated with said plate on a second face thereof that opposes said first face, said PVC pipe being aligned with said hole, said PVC pipe having at least a portion thereof adapted to form a friction fit within a PVC waste pipe; a first PVC post integrated with said PVC plate and extending from said first face thereof; a second PVC post integrated with said PVC plate and extending from said first face thereof; said first post and said second post located 180° away from one another on either side of said hole and adapted to cooperate with bolt holes formed in a base of the toilet bowl; and said PVC plate having a straight edge parallel to an imaginary line passing through central longitudinal axes of said first post and said second post, said straight edge further being located a fixed distance from a center of said hole, said PVC plate further being marked between said center of said hole and said straight edge to indicate at least one line marking on said PVC plate that is parallel to said straight edge.
 10. A one-piece toilet mount as in claim 9, wherein each of said first PVC post and said second PVC post is a solid post.
 11. A one-piece toilet mount as in claim 9, wherein each of said first PVC post and said second PVC post is externally threaded.
 12. A one-piece toilet mount as in claim 9, further comprising a raised lip integrated with said first face substantially around the periphery thereof.
 13. A one-piece toilet mount as in claim 9, wherein said first face includes an annular region formed around said hole that slopes towards said hole.
 14. A method of installing a toilet to prevent leaks beneath the floor on which it is mounted, comprising the steps of: providing a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plate adapted to support the entirety of a toilet bowl on a first face thereof, said PVC plate having a hole therethrough and an open-ended PVC pipe integrated with said PVC plate on a second face thereof opposing said first face, said PVC pipe being aligned with said hole, said PVC pipe having at least a portion thereof adapted to form a friction fit within an open end of a PVC waste pipe located beneath an opening in a floor on which the toilet bowl is to be mounted; applying an adhesive to a region of the floor that circumscribes the opening in the floor; applying a pressure force to said first face of said PVC plate, wherein said adhesive adheres said second face of said PVC plate to the floor while forming a liquid-tight seal around the opening in the floor; applying complementary PVC cement components to each of an external circumferential region of said PVC pipe and an internal circumferential region of the open end of the PVC waste pipe; fitting at least a portion of said external region of said PVC pipe into the open end of the PVC waste pipe, wherein said PVC pipe is cemented into and sealed to the PVC waste pipe; positioning a toilet bowl on said first face of said PVC plate, wherein a horn of the toilet bowl is positioned over said hole in said PVC plate; and applying a silicone-based caulk to said first face of said PVC plate and the toilet bowl all around the periphery of the toilet bowl.
 15. A method according to claim 14, further comprising the step of providing first and second PVC posts integrated with said PVC plate and extending from said first face thereof, said first and second posts located 180° away from one another on either side of said hole and adapted to cooperate with bolt holes formed in a base of the toilet bowl, wherein said step of positioning includes the step of aligning the bolt holes with said first and second PVC posts, wherein a portion of each of said first and second posts protrudes from one of the bolt holes.
 16. A method according to claim 15, further comprising the step of attaching a fastener to said portion of each of said first and second posts.
 17. A method according to claim 14, wherein said PVC plate includes a straight edge located a fixed distance from a center of said hole, said PVC plate further being marked between said center of said hole and said straight edge to indicate at least one line marking on said PVC plate that is parallel to said straight edge, said method further comprising the step of cutting said PVC plate along one said line marking prior to said step of applying complementary PVC cement components. 